SUVA, Fiji (Fiji Times, Jan. 7, 2014) – China has extended its assistance to Fiji’s sugar industry with negotiations that could result in excess of 100,000 tonnes being sold at prices similar to that offered by the EU.

This is the word from Sugar permanent secretary Lieutenant Colonel Manasa Vaniqi.

"We have had three delegations from China visit us over the past two weeks," he said.

"These have included a government team with heads of sugar industry stakeholders, agricultural experts and consultants.

"They have come here with a definite commitment to enter into serious business with our industry."

Lt-Col Vaniqi said the interest shown by China was timely.

"We have no choice but to turn to countries like China that have come forward in light of the end of the preferential quota system offered by the EU for African Caribbean Pacific sugar-producing...

SAIPAN, CNMI (Marianas Variety, Jan. 8, 2014) – Committed to meeting its obligation under the settlement agreement in the Betty Johnson case, the CNMI government has so far made timely remittances amounted to $3.5 million to the settlement fund.

The government, through Assistant Attorney General Reena Patel, filed a statement of compliance with the settlement agreement in court on Jan. 6.

As it had to make at least 15 percent of the annual contribution by the end of the first fiscal year quarter or Dec. 31, Patel declared, "The government has made $3.75 million in contributions to the Settlement Fund."

KOROR, Palau (Island Times, Jan. 7, 2014) – Peleliu State Gov. Temmy Shmull, Businessman Haruo Esang and two Philippine nationals, Mary Grace Baconga and Jeryl Blas, have entered a not guilty plea to the charges that the Attorney General’s Office filed against them in relation to the alleged unlawful activities that occurred at ATT Karaoke Bar and Disco.

All four defendants made their first initial appearance at the court on December 30. Shmull, Esang and Baconga appeared with their counsel, Oldiais Ngiraikelau, while Blas appeared with Chief Public Defender Lalii Chin Sakuma.

The Republic was represented by Assistant AG Joshua Kolsrud.

Shmull and Esang, after entering not guilty pleas, were released on their own recognizance with conditions that they shall turn in...

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, Jan. 7, 2014) – Police are providing 24-hour security for National Capital District (NCD) Governor Powes Parkop and his family following threats over the ban on betel nut sales in Papua New Guinea’s capital.

The ban came into effect yesterday after a seven-day grace period.

Parkop has been at loggerheads with disgruntled vendors and suppliers over the ban, which they claimed was cutting off their only source of income and their livelihood.

He received a death threat via a text message on his mobile phone last weekend.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, Jan. 7, 2014) – Solomon Islands World Vision is defending its use and purchase of new vehicles after last year's tsunami in Temotu province.

This week, provincial premier Charles Brown Beu told Radio New Zealand International there was a lot of suspicion around how the charity spent money following the fatal disaster last February, which left thousands homeless.

Charles Brown Beu says local people could not understand why the charity needed to bring in new trucks and boats.

But World Vision Solomon Islands' operations coordinator, Lawrence Hillary, says before the tsunami the organisation was already doing a lot of work in the province.

HAGÃ TÃA, Guam (Marianas Variety Guam, Jan. 8, 2014) – The Office of Public Accountability (OPA) has admonished the Guam Department of Education (GDOE) for its failure to actively pursue federal reimbursements that it could have secured to cover the cost of its Internet service contract for public schools.

The education department was eligible to receive federal grants under the E-Rate Program that it could have used to pay for the wireless area network services provided by Pacific Data Systems (PDS) from fiscal years 2011 through 2013.

"GDOE did not receive federal reimbursements for a three-year period which forced it to use its scant budgeted funds to cover the full cost of WAN services it was receiving," OPA said.

OPA found that the department "merely applied for federal reimbursements once a year." When its...

PORT VILA, Vanuatu (Vanuatu Daily Post, Jan. 7, 2014) – There are over 13,000 registered leases since Vanuatu’s Parliament passed the Land Lease Act in 1982 up to 2010, according to Minister of Lands Ralph Regenvanu, accounting for over 9.9% of land in Vanuatu.

According to Regenvanu, that is 1,100 square kilometres by 2010 and should have increased a lot for the last three uncounted years.

In addition there is a backlog of 4000 signed but yet to be registered leases which could take the total of leases to 20,000 as of 2013.

What is more terrifying is that many of the leases are made without the consent of custom landowners, a practice that the new amendments to land laws aims to end.

Around 250 leases are signed per year and 29% of those leases have no lessor.

Amidst the creation of the leases a major problem has been identified, the abuse of the power of...

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.